1964 World's Fair

1964 World's Fair

Unisphere, symbol of the New York World's Fair which opens on April 22, dominates this low-level shot of the fairgrounds, shown April 20, 1964 in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo)

The 1964 World’s Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York City, and opened on April 22, 1964. Organized by 20th Century builder Robert Moses, the The 1964 World’s Fair was dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe." Fifty-eight countries participated in the 1964 World’s Fair as did many prominent businesses, including: Chrysler, Bell Telephone, U.S. Steel, General Electric, Ford, General Motors, I.B.M., Pepsi-Cola, Dupont, RCA, and Westinghouse.

The 1964 World’s Fair debuted during the United States' Space Age era, a time period which is related to space exploration and technology. The World's Fair is also remembered in part for the futuristic showcasing by American industrial groups, notably General Motors Corporation’s Futurama show.

The fair gave many visitors their first encounter with computer equipment such as Teletype machines, punch cards, and telephone modems, and computer terminals with keyboards and CRT displays. More than 51 million people attended the fair, although fair organizers had hoped for 71 million. The fair closed October 17, 1965.